Gary/Chicago Airport extends deal with UPS cargo
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In the latest in a series of announced infrastructure deals, Gary/Chicago International Airport is reupping and expanding its deal with United Parcel Service for its air cargo operations.
The airport first signed an agreement with UPS in May 2020; that deal was for five years, with the option to extend for two five-year terms.
The new deal announced last week extends the agreement for five years beyond that, meaning UPS could stay at the airport through 2040.
“This is an exciting moment for the Gary/Chicago International Airport and a continued example of the benefits of our continued investment in our aviation infrastructure and increasing our capabilities,” said airport Executive Director Dan Vicari in a statement. “The initial 2020 agreement provided GCIA with a critical competitive advantage over regional peer airports, and further solidified our increasingly important role within the Chicago aviation system.”
Since 2020 when UPS first started working with Gary/Chicago Airport, the facility ranks third in Indiana in freight volume.
The announcement with UPS comes a month after the airport announced a $24 million project to expand its cargo apron and install a jet fuel service pipeline to service large-capacity storage tanks. The airport says Phase 1 of that project will take the airport from a capacity of two wide-body aircraft to eight. When the entire logistics apron is done, there will be room for 18 wide-body aircraft.
Gary/Chicago Airport also last week announced a $9.8 million agreement with petroleum giant CITGO that will clear the way for a fuel pipeline to service the airport.